Impressive Kutch Silver Mug & Cover

This fine, baluster-form mug with a domed cover, splayed foot and ‘S’-shaped handle, is notable for its heaviness, the purity of the silver used, and the fact that it still retains its original cover.

The entirety is deeply chased with flower and leafy motifs against a tooled background. The base of the body is chased in high relief with a border of single acanthus leaves the tips of which rise off the surface of the vessel.

The form and the motifs suggest a slightly earlier date than most extant Kutch silver.

Kutch silversmiths such as Oomersi Mawji developed a unique style of motifs with which they decorated most of the silver items they produced. Islamic-inspired scrolling flowers and foliage is the most frequently encountered motif, but small animal, bird and human motifs also were employed. The inspiration for these intricate motifs combined with fine and complex floral and foliage patterns almost certainly derives from the local tradition of intricate wall painting employed in Kutch palaces and public buildings. Known as Kamaagar art, the style evolved among the Kamaagar community of Muslims who lived in Kamaagar Falia in Bhuj (Tyabji, 2006, p. 90). Initially, the community was known for making decorated shields, but by the early to mid 19th century, the Kamagaars had established themselves as wall painters, painting intricate, even fussy, scenes of village life, animals, hunting scenes and the like accompanied by scrolling vegetal and floral borders.

The item here is not signed. It is in excellent condition. As mentioned, the mug retains its cover. This is almost unheard of.